1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and program for distributing computer software over a network and, in particular, limiting distribution to authorized systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
During installation, software programs may determine the configuration and identity of the hardware on which they are being installed. Such configuration information can be determined from a configuration file, such as a Windows “.INI” program or from issuing a request for configuration data. Software programs often determine the hardware on which they are being installed to determine the hardware specific settings to select for installation and execution.
Software companies often make their software available for free over a network, such as the Internet, bulletin board, FTP site, etc. Alternatively, a software company can allow someone to download for free the software, but require an access code to complete installation of the freely downloaded software. Requiring the access code discourages users from downloading and using the software because they must go through additional steps of registering and obtaining the access code. Further, users may forget their access code when they want to access the software at a later time.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an alternative distribution technique which allows authorized users to freely download, install and use the software without having to register to obtain access.